Mushroom Spawn (Medicinal)

The species listed here are grown primarily for their medicinal benefit, and not necessarily their culinary value. A few of these are good edible mushrooms (eg shiitake and maritake) whereas most are infused in hot water to provide a medically-beneficial tea. Many mushrooms contain complex sugar molecules which are well-known to stimulate the immune system, helping us to fight off infections and generally increasing our sense of well-being. Others are quite remarkable in that they produce specific chemicals which either directly or indirectly affect specific medical ailments - such as actively reducing cholesterol, or for shrinking and/or curing certain types of cancer. Many mushrooms are currently undergoing scientific research for their use as anti-cancer drugs, and some commercial drugs are already produced from certain mushroom types. Medicinal mushrooms are generally considered to be 'alternative medicine', and have been used by the chinese for thousands of years, but unlike many forms of alternative medicine, many of the claimed medicinal effects have been scientifically-demonstrated and proven.